MICE CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE

The Emirates hosted 72 key meeting planners and 18 leading MICE journalists from Europe to strengthen awareness of Dubai’s premier business events and incentive hosting capabilities.

When we were in Dubai several years ago, the whole city was literally “for sale”. There were huge signs TO SELL or TO LEASE on the super modern tower buildings one next to another. The signs are no longer there today and there is life in the buildings. Dubai recovered from the crisis and its star is rising for MICE.

One of the miracles of Dubai is that, it was originally built on barren desert and over thirty five years was transformed into a modern thriving metropolis. This tourist destination focuses more and more on MICE clientele and you should take it into consideration when looking for a suitable destination for MICE events. Dubai paid a lot of attention to marketing tools and won as the World Expo destination for 2020. 33.2 million visits made by 25 million unique visitors (70 percent international) are expected. In addition of being an very active air hub (70 million passengers in 2014 and 260 destinations), Dubai is also a cosmopolitan city where the vast majority of inhabitants come from the most various countries outside of U.A.E., especially from India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh. 2.2 million inhabitants live here in total (out of that 80 percent from other countries than U.A.E.). U.A.E. were established in 1971 after the departure of the British army.

Did you know that we can find the tallest skyscraper in the world in Dubai? Burj Khalifa measures  828 metres. It was exactly this place where our fam trip welcoming breakfast started with a magnificent view of the whole Dubai.

Just 15 minutes from Dubai International Airport, Dubai Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC) is a world-class venue in the heart of the Dubai World Trade Centre. The biggest event, which took place there, was Nu Skin Enterprises from China which include 14,500 delegates. Dubai competed with destinations such as Macau, Seoul and Singapore, and won.

DWTC has a great Hospitality Department. It catered 2.1 million guests only in 2014, which represents an increase of 27 percent in comparison with the year 2013. The on-site team is fully equipped to cater approx. 15, 000 guests each day and has a full fleet of vehicles and equipment for outdoor events. 150 chefs of 19 different nationalities work in the DWTC kitchen. During our press trip we explored the kitchen inside and could verify the quality of the facilities and preparation of various specialities. Services of the Hospitality Department will satisfy the most demanding clientele and can be only recommended. The adjacent hotels Novotel and Ibis provide practical accommodation during fairs.

Meydan Hotel is a luxurious, icon super modern hotel located at Meydan Racecourse, home to the annual Dubai World Cup – the richest horserace in the world and the biggest party of the year. The style is very modern and represents the architecture of the future.

The Palace Downtown Dubai is a five-star premium hotel, next to the Dubai Mall (shopping centre) and the Souk Al Bahar, which offers a taste of something more traditional and rustic. The advantage is that you are in the middle of the city in the centre of all that’s happening if you stay at the Palace hotel. It features 242 guests rooms including 81 lavish suites.

The kingly giant hotel resort Atlantis providing 1,539 rooms in the most different categories is an attractive place in Palm Jumeirah, directly on its peak. It has the capacity for groups requesting up to 600 rooms. We can find 14 meeting rooms for conferences and meetings here with flexible configuration whereas Atlantis Ballroom has the capacity of up to 2,000 persons. Also structures for swimming with dolphins and a giant aquarium are a part of the resort.

Madinat Jumeirah, a very luxurious and splendid resort, is located across its own private beach and has all the beauty of the region. Its conference and banqueting facilities include two grand ballrooms, a 1000-seat amphitheatre and the region’s only dedicated entertainment centre and a multi-purpose venue, the Madinat Arena. Madinat Jumeirah is a gorgeous hotel on the beach with romantic atmosphere where it is possible to organise creative outdoor events.

Our group of influential MICE media from Europe (18 persons) was the most excited from camel polo that can be played at the Dubai Polo & Equestrian Club. The game is identical with the horse polo, you just sit on camels instead of horses. This activity should definitely be on the must-do list.

If you want a destination, which offers high quality services and new modern infrastructures, Dubai shouls certainly be on your list of TOP’s.

FAST FACTS

635 hotels and hotel apartments, ranging from 5-star luxury to budget value options

Over 89,000 hotel rooms in all categories